The Government of El Salvador, through the Competition Superintendence (CS) and the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), will host the first meeting during which the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

1. Press Release C. 11-10
th
El Salvador, April 14 , 2010.
Technical Assistance for Consumer Protection and Competition
will be Evaluated
The Government of El Salvador, through the Competition Superintendence (CS) and the
Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), will host the first meeting during which the United
Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will evaluate the results of the
technical assistance program for the “Strengthening of the Institutions and Capacities with
respect the Competition and Consumer Protection Policies” (COMPAL II Program), with the
support of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of the government of Switzerland (SECO).
The UNCTAD´s Competition and Protection Authority Chief, Mr. Hassan Qaqaya,
“Thanks to the representatives of various United Nations agencies, the government of
UNCTAD´s support, Switzerland, and the government of Spain, as donors, together with the
the CS has carried out Competition and Consumer Protection Authorities of the twelve Latin American
countries who receive assistance from COMPAL II are participating in the meeting
important sector th th
which shall take place from April 14 to the 16 .
studies on the
competition During said event, the UNCTAD shall evaluate the results of COMPAL II for the
conditions, as well as period starting from April 2009 until March 2010, in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru,
training events which and Bolivia, as well as in the associated countries that belong to the cooperation
contribute with the platform created in the first phase of the aforementioned program. Furthermore,
institution´s conferences for the exchange of experiences and best practices regarding
competition advocacy consumer protection and competition shall be carried out.
activities”, said Jose
Enrique Argumedo, The UNCTAD´s technical assistance pursues to provide developing countries with
the necessary tools for the development of public policies with respect to
Competition
competition and to the protection consumers´ rights in order to contribute
Superintendent. consumer welfare through lower prices, better quality, and a vast variety of
products.
The UNCTAD´s and SECO´s support to the Government of El Salvador (hereinafter GOES), through the
COMPAL II Program will last four years. The contribution assigned to the GOES totalizes US$345,938.00. Said
contribution shall be distributed equally between the above cited institutions in this agreement, that is, between
the CS and the CPA.
For the Consumer Protection Authority, the UNCTAD´s support has contributed to create more respect for said
institution, as well as for the promotion of the consumers´ rights through, amongst others, the following strategic
actions:
1. Strengthening consumer education programs;
2. Promoting citizen participation in consumer associations;
3. Strengthening mechanisms to watch over the market;
4. Making the market transparent through the publication of price information to the consumer;
Edificio Madreselva, 1er Nivel, Calzada El Almendro y 1ª Ave. El Espino, Urb. Madreselva, Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador.
E-mail: contacto@sc.gob.sv - www.sc.gob.sv

2. 5. Strengthening the National System for Consumer Protection, in order to achieve better coordination and
effectiveness of its actions in the defense of consumers´ rights; and,
6. Decentralizing the services of the Consumer Protection Authority.
Background
Year Activity
August 2005 The first phase of the COMPAL Program began.
December 2008 The first phase of the COMPAL Program finalized.
th
March 17 , 2009 The UNCTAD and the Swiss Government launched the second phase of the COMPAL
Program.
May 22nd, 2009 The UNCTAD, the Swiss Government, and GOES formalized COMPAL II technical
assistance for the CS and the CPA, through the subscription of the broad agreement.
th
May 26 , 2009 The CS, the UNCTAD, and the Swiss Government signed a Memorandum of
Understanding.
th
July 24 , 2009 The CPA, the UNCTAD, and the Swiss Government signed a Memorandum of
Understanding.
April 14th, 2010 COMPAL Program annual monitoring meeting.
Edificio Madreselva, 1er Nivel, Calzada El Almendro y 1ª Ave. El Espino, Urb. Madreselva, Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador.
E-mail: contacto@sc.gob.sv - www.sc.gob.sv